The Privileges and Responsibilities of the New Life - Part 2

I don't know if you realized it, but we had all men up there leading us in our music service this morning. I appreciate that. I appreciate all who serve in what we would call our music ministry. And I will give you a heads up. Brother Keith knows you can sing. He knows you have some kind of a musical talent. He's going to come after you if you were a faithful, serving member of Grace Life Church. It sure was good to see a lot of men up there leading us. I appreciate that. Well if you would take your Bible turn back to Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews chapter 10, we will be in all of these verses, verses 19 to 25, but we will spend most of our time in verses 22 to 25. Now last week we saw how the author moved from the theological part of the letter, which is from chapter 5 to chapter 10 verse 18. He moves to the practical, or what we would call the instructions on living out the theological and the practical. Those instructions are from verse 19 here in chapter 10 to the end of the book, chapter 13. And this division is easy to see, and I'm sure it will be refreshing for some of you. I know this has been refreshing for me to transition from the theological to the more practical.

But I will tell you, this is very, very serious and very, very convicting. And last week we got started in these verses in what I call the privileges and responsibilities of the new life. Now I will encourage you, if you did not get last week's message, you need to do so. It will be easy for you to get on our church website, and I'll go ahead and tell you it's a little shorter, it's a little shorter than I am accustomed to. So when you see that, don't be surprised. But I say that you need to get that because all of this goes together. This is really one message.

And what we have here is really easy to see, but it is very powerful in its application to us. But in verses 19 to 21, the author explains that those who have come to salvation in this new life in Christ possess certain privileges, advantages, and opportunities. We are truly a privileged people. And he names three privileges here. And in verses 22 to 25, the author explains that those of us who have come into this new life into faith in Christ, we are called to certain responsibilities. The advantages and privileges of the new life in Christ automatically bring us to certain serious responsibilities. And he names three.

Now this is how I want to approach the message. This is a part two of the privileges and responsibilities of the new life. I want to quickly review these privileges that we covered last week, and that will lead us right into our responsibilities. But before I get started, church, we need this far more than you know. As your pastor, I want you to know that I have been very, very burdened over this teaching. I've been very, very burdened for you. I've spent quite a bit of time praying over these verses, and I've been praying for you individually and for your families.

I believe that God wants to use these verses and this teaching to work out in us in a great way to take our church really to a next level of spiritual maturity and usefulness. I believe that God wants to use this teaching to bring out of some of us some spiritual lethargy, spiritual half-heartedness. I believe that God wants to use these verses and this teaching to bring out some half-hearted usefulness in the life of the church to a full-hearted usefulness in the life of the church. And I do not say these things to be super corrective. No, I love you, and I want what's best for you.

I want what God wants for you, so I want God to bring all of these things to bear upon us according to our needs and who we are. So last week we looked at, number one, the privileges in the New Covenant, verses 19 to 21, the privileges that we enjoy in the New Covenant. And we saw that as believers we possess three advantages, three privileges. First we are privileged in our approach to God. Listen to verse 19 in the Amplified.

"Therefore believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the holy place, the place where God dwells, by means of the blood of Jesus." Here we saw that the author was contrasting the Old Covenant way of life with the New Covenant way of life. Under the Old Covenant, worshippers could never enter into the Holy of Holies, into the very presence of God.

Only one man, the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies, and that was only one time of the year when the Jewish high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to offer the blood of an animal sacrifice to appease the wrath of God for the sin of the people and to cover over that sin. But under the New Covenant things are much, much different. Those who have received salvation through the sacrifice of Christ have entered into the New Covenant. So in and through Christ the worshipper can boldly and confidently enter into the holy place where God dwells and into the very presence of God.

So our first privilege of the new life we have in Christ is this. We do not have to rely on a priest to go into the presence of God on our behalf one time a year. We can confidently go into the very presence of God at any time, at any place, and we have this privilege not by or through our goodness or our religious performance, no, but through the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. And then second, we are privileged in our way to God. We are privileged in our way to God. Listen to verse 20, and again I'm reading in the Amplified.

By this new and living way which he initiated and opened for us through the veil as in the holy of holies, that is through his flesh. And we continue to see that the author was contrasting the Old Covenant way of life with this New Covenant way of life. Under the Old Covenant worshippers had to rely on the old way and the old way of death. That is they had to rely on the continual death of animal sacrifices in their worship of God. We have learned that at best the blood of animal sacrifices appease the wrath of God against their sin and covered over their sin temporarily because those sacrifices had to be offered continuously.

And we saw that those animal sacrifices could never ever open up the way to God. The veil in the holy of holies closed off God and the presence of God from man. But under the New Covenant things are much, much different. Those who have come to saving faith in Christ through Christ's sacrifice on the cross have entered into the New Covenant and into this new way of life. So in and through Christ the worshipper has a new way to God. This way is the newly slain way of the blood of Christ and the living way of the blood of Christ. And this newly slain and living way was opened up through the torn veil of his very own flesh and body on the cross.

So our second privilege in the new life that we have in Christ is this. We do not have to look to the old animal sacrifices day after day which could never take us into the presence of God. We have a new and living way. We have the living way which is the way of Christ's blood that has been opened up to us by the sacrifice of his body on the cross. Third, we are privileged in our priest who takes us to God. Again, listen to verse 21 in the Amplified.

And since we have a great and wonderful priest who rules over the house of God, here we saw that the author was continuing to contrast the old way of life, the old covenant way of life with the new covenant way of life. Under the old covenant worshippers depended on the old covenant priest and the high priest to perform those animal sacrifices that we have seen could never have taken them into the presence of God. The way of the old covenant priests and the high priest was to appease the wrath of God for sin and to temporarily cover over sin. Simply those old covenant priests were servants.

But under the new covenant things are much, much different. Those who have received salvation through the sacrifice of Christ have entered into the new covenant. And in the new covenant, worshippers possess a much different priest. Jesus is the personal, great, and wonderful high priest who rules over his people. So those who are in Christ have a personal high priest who rules over all. So our third privilege of the new life we have in Christ Jesus is this. All of us who are redeemed personally, we possess a personal high priest who rules over us.

And corporately we are the redeemed people of God and we have a personal high priest who rules over us, the church, our church. So we learn that all who have come to saving faith in Christ Jesus are under the new covenant. And under the new covenant we possess certain wonderful advantages, I call them privileges. We can confidently enter into the presence of God through the blood of Christ. We have a new bloody and living way which was provided through the sacrifice of Christ's body on the cross. And we possess Christ as our personal priest who rules over us and over our church.

Now I'm afraid that many of us are like most American citizens today. In my opinion, most Americans are at best mostly apathetic towards the advantages and privileges that we have as a country or at worst mostly ignorant of the advantages and the privileges that we have in our country. And I'm afraid that for many to fully understand the advantages and privileges we have as Americans, we would have to live outside of the United States or have our advantages and privileges taken away. And what I'm getting at this, I'm afraid that as believers we do not really see and understand the spiritual privileges we have in Christ.

So on the God side of things, we need God the Holy Spirit to take these verses and all of this teaching and to powerfully apply it to us even if it means rebuke and correction. And on the human responsibility side of these things, we need to study these privileges. We need to study all that we see here in verses 19 to 21 and beyond even going back into chapter five, six, seven, all of that teaching that leads up to this. And we need to do our share of the work and we need God to do what only God can do for us so that we become a people who truly understand, embrace and live out the privileges that we have in Christ in the new life.

Well that leads us to our new material. Number two, the responsibilities of the new covenant. We see this in verses 22 to 25. We can turn it around and say it like this, our responsibilities in the new covenant. Now here the author gives those who possess the new life in Christ three responsibilities that are introduced with this phrase, let us look at your Bible. Verse 22, let us draw near. Verse 23, let us hold fast. Verse 24, let us consider and as we look into each of these, let us responsibilities, I will help us see that these responsibilities come out of, they are connected to the privileges that we have in the new life in Christ.

So let's look at these responsibilities. First notice our responsibility to draw near to God. We see this in verse 22, our responsibility to draw near to God. Now look back at our verses starting in verse 21 and I'll show you how this all fits together. Therefore brothers, that means brothers and sisters, therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh and since we have a great priest over the house of God, verse 22, let us draw near.

And this phrase, let us draw near, it means to come, it means to approach, it's simple, it means to draw near. Simply the author is saying that since believers have these wonderful privileges in the new life in Christ, let us draw near to God. But notice how this is to take place. Let me give some stipulations. He says we are to draw near with a pure heart and this simply means having a sincere and a genuine heart and this speaks to the inside of a person by referencing the heart. The author was aiming at the inside of the man showing that the way to God is not through any religious, external religious works.

This simply speaks of one being right. This speaks of one being true, genuine and sincere on the inside of the person. Now that leads me to a question, how is this possible? We understand the doctrine of man and the sinfulness of man, that leads us to a question. How is it possible for us to have a true, genuine and sincere heart? Well, by and in the new life in Christ, all because of the new birth. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, 17 that if anyone is in Christ, savingly, they are a new creation. Therefore they are right. They are true. They are genuine. They are sincere in their inmost being.

Then he continues, he says we are to draw near in full assurance of faith. And this simply means that a full assurance of faith is necessary to draw near to God. But a question, where does this full assurance come from? Not from within a person, generating it from within, no. And not from external religious performance, no. That's not what this means. This full assurance comes from trusting in the work of Christ, which has been described since chapter 5. This comes from trusting in the work of Christ provided for the salvation of man. And personally trusting in Christ for that salvation, therefore this full assurance is made manifest within.

Let me repeat that. Therefore this full assurance is made manifest, made known within. The Bible scholar Albert Barnes described this by saying the full assurance of faith means unwavering confidence, a fullness of faith in God which leaves no room for doubt. And notice this is brought about in a person, not from themselves, no, but from the saving and miraculous work of the Spirit of God within a man. And he continues, he says we are to draw near to God with clean hearts. Now when we look at the rest of verse 22, we see language about hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and bodies washed with water. You can see that in the verse.

This can be confusing for some, but it shouldn't be. Sprinkled hearts and washed bodies, this is really meant to be together. I will explain it. The sprinkling of the hearts speaks of the effects of the blood of Christ being applied to the heart and the mind and the life of the believer. Simply when one savingly believes their hearts are cleansed by the blood of Christ, therefore their conscience is made clean. And this washing of the body, really it is debated among scholars.

Some see this as a reference to baptism, while others say this is a reference to the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit in the person when they come to saving faith in Christ. Now I say this speaks of the cleansing work of the Spirit in the new birth which is symbolized in baptism. Let me explain this a little more. The washing takes place by work of the Spirit symbolized as pure water in the verse. And this takes place when one comes to saving faith in Christ. And baptism is an outward sign of this internal spiritual work.

Water baptism is symbolic and it speaks of this internal washing of the heart that only the Holy Spirit of God can bring about. So look at this first responsibility and I'm going back to the verses. Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain that is through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near.

Let us draw near to God with genuine worshipful hearts that have a full assurance of faith in the finished work of Christ and a personal faith in Christ's finished work because the heart has been cleansed by the blood of Christ and by the regenerating and washing work of the Holy Spirit in the heart and in the life. But a question. Very practical. What does this drawing near look like? What does this drawing near look like? Let me start off by showing you what it's not. This is not drawing near in our Bible study. This is not drawing near in our study of theology and doctrine.

This is not drawing near in our worship music or listening to preaching or other spiritual instructions such as podcasts. Now let me summarize. This is not drawing near in any of our spiritual exercises although God may use those things. Let me explain. What we are seeing here is this, the personal, the experiential drawing near to God and God drawing near to us, in us, through the working of the Holy Spirit of God that is in us. The old Puritans call this the manifest presence of God. Let me repeat that. The old Puritans call this the manifest presence of God. Manifest means to readily perceive by the senses.

This means that we draw near to God and God by His grace and through a work of the Holy Spirit within us, in and through His word, in and through prayer, sometimes through preaching and teaching of the word, He draws near. He is close. We draw close. He draws close to us. And let me show you. This takes time. You can't do this driving down the road with a radio on. This takes time. This takes locking yourself away in what we might call a prayer closet. This takes uninterrupted quiet time, seeking God, praying, yes studying the scripture, but we're not just looking to the scripture, we're looking for Him in the scripture. This takes time.

This takes quiet. This takes seeking God. This takes a wanting and a waiting on God to come and make Himself known in us. And look folks, we need the manifest presence of God in our life. So we must draw near to Him. And then second, our responsibility to hold tightly to our confession. You see this in verse 23, our responsibility to hold tightly to our confession. Now I'll do the same thing that I did a moment ago. Let's look back at all of these verses, verse 21.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain that is through His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God," verse 23, "let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful." But a very practical question. What does it mean to hold fast? Does this mean that we need to be quick to hold on to something like it might slip out of our hands? This phrase, "hold fast," literally means to hold on to detain.

And this speaks of holding on to or detaining something with force. That is why the Amplified says, "Let us seize and hold tightly." That's so good. "Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering." But notice what should be seized and held on too tightly. Our hope, the King James says, our faith. And this hope or faith speaks to the believer's profession of Christ as the promised Messiah and His single sacrifice for sin and their personal hope and trust in Christ for their personal salvation.

So the author was calling believers to seize a halt of, to hold tightly to their confession of Christ and their hope in Christ for salvation. And to do this without wavering or without being moved. Listen to the verse in the Amplified. Again, it's very accurate. "Let us seize and hold tightly." Seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful to His Word. Now I like something John MacArthur points out here. He says, "Holding on is the human side of eternal security." Let me repeat that. This holding on is the human side of eternal security.

I add to this by saying this holding on is the human responsibility of the perseverance of the saints or the human responsibility of what saved always saved. But notice one thing we must see. MacArthur points this out, but I really put it in my own words. This holding on to our faith without wavering until the end. This is not something we do to be saved or to stay saved, no, but proof. On the human responsibility side that we are saved. Now I need to repeat that because some of you really need to get this. This holding on to our faith without wavering until the end.

This is not something we do to be saved or to stay saved, but proof on the human responsibility side that we are saved. Years ago when I was a youth minister at First Baptist Church in Ellisville, Mississippi, I had a student, I'll just give him a fictitious name. His name was Carl. But Carl professed to have been converted to Christ when he was in high school. I think a senior. He served God in the local church faithfully and he even went into the ministry. But he later left the church and he came out as homosexual and I had heard that he had married another man and was serving in a homosexual-affirming church. Now let me pause here. Stop.

We've all been tricked here. Stop saying that homosexuals can get married. They cannot. God invented marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman and that's it. And stop saying a homosexual-affirming church. There's no such thing. Churches don't affirm what God condemns. Now what is my point? Carl, by his own actions, he proved he was never saved because he did not hold onto the faith as seen in the scriptures. It's real simple. But notice the motivation. We see this at the end of 23. The motivation behind this holding on.

Believers can hold tightly and constantly their confession of the faith and hope without being moved away from their hope and faith because God who has promised is faithful. Some rhetorical questions. Has God ever told a lie? Has God kept all of his promises? Will God keep all of his promises? On a more personal note, has God ever let you down? Well as believers, that is a part of our motivation of holding on tightly and to keep on holding on tightly to our faith and our hope that is centered in Christ. God always keeps his promises. So look at this second responsibility. Again, going back into the verses.

Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, verse 23, "Let us hold fast, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who has promised is faithful." Now question, how are you doing here?

Look those who profess Christ, but then later quit holding on to the faith and fall away proved they were never saved to begin with, but true believers can allow themselves to hold on to the faith and hope found in Christ a little too loosely, therefore they open themselves up to distractions, temptations, and even sin. So church, brother and sister, how are we doing here? Are we holding on tightly? Are we holding on tightly to the faith of Christ and our personal hope in Christ Jesus? And then third, our responsibility to consider how to stir up one another. Verses 24 to 25. Our responsibility to consider how to stir up one another.

Again, I'm going back through the verses. Verses 21, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." Now here we see the very positive work that takes place when a believer faithfully and continuously draws near to God and holds tightly to the faith. You see that?

A great work takes place between one another, between brothers and sisters, when the believer faithfully and continuously draws near to God and holds tightly to the faith. Now let's look at this great work. "Let us," this is an intentional work. Verse 24 says, "And let us consider," and this phrase means to perceive, to carefully consider, to attentively fix one's eyes, hit one's mind on. And this is a provoking work. In verse 24, the English Standard says, "Let us consider how to stir up." The New American says, "Let us consider how to stimulate one another." The King James uses the word provoke.

And this word stir up, this word stimulate, this word provoke, it comes from a word in the original that literally means to incite, to provoke, to irritate, even to exasperate. But we see here it's used in the positive, not in the negative. The context tells us that. But then notice this is a familiar work. Verse 24 says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another," and this phrase, "one another," this speaks to brothers and sisters in Christ. This speaks of brothers and sisters in the church or the family of God inside the house of God. So look at this work.

The author was calling these believers to thoughtfully take note of one another for one purpose, so as to stir up one another, so as to excite one another, so as to provoke one another in a good and in a positive way. Now last week I made a confession of living a double life while I was growing up. You'll have to go back and get last week's message to understand that. But this morning I want to make another confession. I have a spiritual gift that some of you don't know much about. That is the gift of agitation. Those that I'm close to and that I love, I enjoy agitating.

Keith and I have been close for years, great friends in life and partners in ministry, and sometimes I just love to agitate and irritate and aggravate Keith. One day, I don't know when, he looked at me and he said, "You don't have the spiritual gift of encouragement. You have the spiritual gift of discouragement." Now I think you know what I mean by that. But look at how or to what end the author was calling these believers to thoughtfully stir up and to provoke one another. This is all positive. This isn't negative. This is love to love, and this is not a sentimental humanistic love.

This is a love seen all throughout the New Testament that is not selfish or sinful love, but this is the greatest, the most supreme example of love that there is, the cross. First John 4.10 says, "And this is love, not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation or the atoning sacrifice for our sins." Simply the author was addressing true believers who had been transformed by love, the love of God, by coming to faith in Christ. And he was calling them to provoke one another to love in two ways or in two areas of life.

First in their love for God, and second in their love towards one another, especially those of the household of God, brothers and sisters. So we call them to provoke one another, to irritate one another, to stir one another up, to love God, to love others more and more, better and better, more and more, better and better. And second to good works. I like what Leon Morris says here, "Love issues in good deeds, for it is intensely practical." Let me say that again. Morris says, "Love issues in good deeds, for it is intensely practical." So the point here is this.

The author was calling these believers to be active in working in Christian works through love, by love, because of love. James 2.14-18 tells us that faith without works is dead. We've studied that in small groups. Well based off what the author is saying here, love produces Christian works. And for one to say they love without works proves they have a defective love. So the author called them to provoke one another, to irritate one another, to agitate one another, to love, love for God and love for others. But a love that produced Christian work. I like what the scholar Tom Shriner says here.

Speaking of this love in good works, he says, "Love is the mark of Christian fellowship." And he cites John 13.34-35. Listen to what Jesus says there, "A new commandment I give you." He's speaking to his disciples. "That you love one another, just as I have loved you. You also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you love love for one another." Then Shriner says, "Love is not merely a feeling or an emotion. It manifests itself in good works. Dead works lead to spiritual death while good works testify of God's grace and love among believers." Now a question here.

How are you doing in love and good works? I'm speaking to Grace Life Church now. How are you doing in love and good works among the saints, among one another? Look church, if you are not performing good works in the church, in and among God's people, that reflects a defective love for others and ultimately a defective love for God. That needs to be stated again because you've got to get it. If you are not performing good works in the church, in and among God's people, that reflects a defective love of others and ultimately a defective love of God.

If we love God as we should, we will love others and especially brothers and sisters in the life of the church. If our love is as it should be, it will be proven in good works among the saints of God within the church, our church. We will see love in good works, we will experience love in good works, we will know love in good works, they will be everywhere. How are you doing Grace Life? In love and good works. And get this brother, get this sister. Many times it is the good things of life that water us down here in sidetrack of seer. Oh, you need to hear that again church. These brothers in this original context, they were facing persecution.

We don't face persecution, brother and sister, many times in our day and our time, it is the good things of life that water us down here in sidetrack of seer. Now at this point we come to verse 25, which some take as a fourth responsibility, I think the new international version does, but if we do some study in the language, we see that it is best to see verse 25 as a part of verse 24. Look at verse 24. Let us consider how to stir up one another. Verse 25, not neglecting to meet together. And right here this brings us right back to this context, this original audience.

Some in this original congregation were facing terrible pressures to return to life under the old covenant. Some were even facing persecution for professing Christ as the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Well, what was the result? Scholars tell us some were abandoning the faith they professed, they were becoming apostates. And some were neglecting to meet together. So for this original audience, there was this great, great warning here, not to neglect meeting together.

But notice what verse 25 tells us, Grace Life Church, in our responsibility to stir up one another to love and to good works, we see two expectations, two commands out of verse 25. First the negative, do not neglect to meet together. This neglecting, the new American standard says not forsaking. This literally means to abandon, to leave behind, to let down. Like I said, some of this congregation were doing this. They were neglecting, they were forsaking, they were letting down, they were leaving behind, they were even abandoning the faith and the church. And the point that needs to be seen here is this.

The author saw that not attending and meeting together with brothers and sisters as was the custom, this was truly forsaking, letting down, leaving behind, even abandoning not just the work of love and good works but one another. By using this term, one another in verse 24, the author is showing us that this was and is a personal forsaking, a personal leaving behind, a personal abandoning. But then second the positive, meeting together, encouraging one another. This encouraging one another, the King James says exhorting one another. This literally means to call to one side, to come alongside, to speak to, to call to, to encourage.

Again, by using this term encouraging one another, the author is showing us that this was and is a personal encouraging, a personal exhorting among one another. And I'll ask you Grace Life, are you neglecting, letting down, leaving behind brothers and sisters in our church that need your encouragement? Think about that. Are you neglecting, letting down, leaving behind brothers and sisters in your church that need your encouragement? Are you neglecting, letting down, even abandoning brothers and sisters in your church who need to be provoked and irritated to love and the good works?

And look church, we're not pressured to neglect meeting together by persecution. We are pressured to neglect meeting with brothers and sisters by what we would call the good things in life, recreation, entertainment, hobbies, family. You see? We are not pressured to neglect meeting together by persecution from the world. We are pressured to neglect brothers and sisters by what we would call the good things in life and I would venture to say some of those are not good things. Recreation, too much recreation, too much entertainment, too many hobbies, and also family.

Some of you, your biggest hindrance in being faithful as you should be is family. Have you ever wondered why your family call you on the weekends? They call you on Sundays? But sometimes brothers and sisters just get lazy. I've seen it. Sometimes brothers and sisters get selfish, they get sinful, so they neglect, they leave behind, they abandon brothers and sisters who need them. Look, Grace Life, do you see that those around you need you? I need you?

So this third responsibility, again, I'm going back through the verses, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is through His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us consider how to stir up one another to love and to good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another all the more as you see the day drawing near. Look folks, the day of Christ's return is drawing near, drawing near.

Now as I move away from the verses to close the message, I want to show us how all of this fits together. Now I would encourage you to close your Bible, put your pen down, and just look at me with your eyes, because you're going to have to think to get this. I did this last week by saying that the theological portion of the letter informs and dictates proper Christian practice in the Christian life. This needs a little more unpacking here, let me explain it.

If we truly grasp what Christ did for us by going to the cross and providing perfect salvation for us and by His death providing the new life that we have in and under the new covenant for us, then we will have the ability to comprehend and enjoy the great privileges we have in the new life in Christ and we will take advantage of our privileges. If that is the case, then we will be motivated by God. You see, we will be motivated by God to fulfill the responsibilities God has given for us for the new life in Christ and we will work to fulfill these responsibilities that we see in verses 22 to 25 all on the life of the church.

Let me say it another way by turning it around. If we are not faithfully meeting together to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are not faithfully meeting with our church family, brothers and sisters to start up even to provoke one another, to love God more and to love one another more and to good works within our church, then that tells us that we are not partaking of our privileges as seen in verses 19 to 21. This tells us that our worship of God is off because these privileges are all about worship.

And if that is the case with us, that tells us that we do not fully accept what Christ did for us by going to the cross and providing perfect salvation for man and by his death providing the new life that we have in the new covenant. Look folks, it all goes together. The theological determines worship and practice. And if our practice is off, our worship is off. And if our worship and practice are off, we are adhering to the theological only intellectually. We're not doers of the word. We're only hearers. So the privileges and responsibilities of the new life.